Game-by-game predictions for Syracuse football in 2024

Week 4: vs. Holy Cross (W)

Like last season, Syracuse will once again open up the season with four straight home games. The Orange get to end this stint with the Holy Cross Crusaders. This is Syracuse’s lone FCS game, so this should be an easy game. The last time Syracuse played an FCS team they won 65-0, against Colgate last year. I likely see the same result here, Syracuse wins in blow-out fashion. 

Week 5: at UNLV (W)

A few years ago UNLV was an absolute joke of a team. Coming from the Mountain West, the Rebels were known for their warm weather and nice NFL stadium. However, last season was a major turnaround as the Rebels, under coach Barry Odom, went 9-5 with the third-best record in the Mountain West.

A large reason for this success was star quarterback Jayden Maiava who transferred to USC. That left this team with some question marks and voids to fill. The Rebels will bring back some good talent in wide receiver Ricky White.

I still think Syracuse should win, despite having to play across the country against a respectable Group of Five team. I see the Orange pulling this one out late. 

Week 6: at NC State (L)

Here comes the legit side of the ACC. As one of Syracuse’s hardest opponents, NC State will present possibly the biggest challenge thus far. In back-to-back road games, this one calls for some slip-up.

Before this, I have already made a bold prediction for Syracuse to start the season 5-0. While I could see Syracuse falling to either Georgia Tech or UNLV, I believe this game is not favorable in any way. NC State has been a consistently solid team over the past few years under coach Dave Doeren.

The Wolfpack notably had a great defense last season only allowing 16.9 points on average in the ACC, and ranking third nationally in interceptions. Doeren also hit the portal hard and acquired some talent on the offensive end with Coastal Carolina transfer, Grayson McCall.

I see Syracuse falling in this game, likely by a decent margin.